Celebrating 115 years of growing grapes in the Coachella Valley

It's grape week in the Coachella Valley!

Growing Coachella Valley is celebrating grapes from June 8 to June 12.

News Channel 3’s Caitlin Thropay, spoke with a local grape farmer to learn more about the economic impact of our local grapes and if they've been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Grapes started showing promise in the Coachella Valley in 1905.

“This nice, crunch, pops in your mouth, sweet berry!” George Tudor said as we walked through his vineyard.

Tudor is a third-generation grape farmer. His family’s ranch has been growing grapes in the east valley since the 1940s.

“The table grape industry has been in existence for 115 years in the valley. It is not the size it once was 25 to 30 years ago, but it still employs at its peak five to six thousand people,” Tudor said.

This year, the Coachella Valley will produce up to four million, 18-pound boxes of grapes, which has an overall economic impact of $240 million that goes back into the Coachella Valley economy.

“And a lot of that is here in the east valley where we have all these hard working people which is also what we’re celebrating this week. Not just grapes but the people that work every day to bring grapes to your stores and to your table,” Tudor said.

Luckily, our local grape industry hasn’t been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

“Fortunately, with grapes, the natural spacing of the vineyard and being outside helps a little bit,” Tudor said.

And right now grape farmers are busy at work, that’s because harvesting in the Coachella Valley happens between May and July.

“Something else interesting about grapes here in the Coachella Valley, they are the kickoff to the U.S. table grapes season, which is well over 100 million boxes annually which ship throughout the world,” Tudor said.

To learn more about how the valley is celebrating grapes this week visit: https://www.facebook.com/GrowingCoachellaValley